The Story so Far... After his encounter with our hero, Jacob sought out a rather suspicious man in order to get himself out of a situation that he found himself in before he had met the boy.
However, little did he know that the man would prove to be rather devious when it came to the wager they had made. With the aid of some of his allies, he lured our hero away from the competition in order to shift the tables of this wager in a more favorable direction.
Though fortunately for the boy, the retired man caught onto the scheme that was being planned from behind his back and put a stop to it, with the help of some unlikely allies of course.
With the riches that he was owed by his side, our hero can finally make his way to the Town of York alongside some new but temporary companions. Nevertheless, the troubles that await our heroes in the settlement are far more serious then any of them could possibly imagine.
...
Trouble in Town
We were on the road for what seemed like hours, the sun shining over the caravan that we were driving in order to make our way towards the Town of York. I was settled at the very front of the vehicle in order to steer it in the right direction while the duo that had recently joined me were settled in the shade under the cloth.
On our way to the settlement in question, we managed to pass by some other caravans that were supposedly making their way towards the other capitals in order to trade the goods that they held in the back.
Caravans like that are supposedly quite important to the capitals of the Kingdom, as there were many different kinds of well-armed guards walking near the vehicle in question. I had the map that Jacob had given me in one hand, while the method of moving the cart on the other hand.
The map was far more detailed than any other chart I had seen, as this one marked down all of the various towns and villages that were native to the continent of Sanus, even those independent of the Kingdom's rule.
To put it bluntly, the continent that I found myself in was far larger then I had originally thought it was. Though as I flipped through the various maps that were in the notebook that Jacob had given me, I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from the back of the vehicle.
I turned around to see the brunette girl making her way towards the front seats of the cart with a smile on her face. "Sure is a long ride, isn't it?" She asked me as she stretched her arms out.
"Looks like it," I responded, causing her to shift her attention towards the book that I had in my hands.
"What's that?" Velvet asked before pointing one of her fingers at the maps that I was using in order to find the town I was looking for.
"This thing? It's just a set of locations that that old man you saw from before let me borrow for the time being." I explained to her as she looked at the pages with a rather curious expression on her face.
"Hmm, I didn't think that there would be so many settlements that existed outside of the rule of the Kingdom." Velvet said before taking the book out of my hands and into her own. "So didn't you say that we were going to a place called York?" The Huntress in Training asked me, causing me to nod my head.
The girl in question started to flip through the pages in order to find the entry about the town we were making our way towards. Eventually, she managed to stumble upon the section about York.
"Ah, here we are. I don't suppose you've read about this town before we headed out?" Velvet asked me.
"Well, learning about the history of the town wasn't exactly on my mind at the time so no," I told her. "Anything interesting we should know about before we get into any trouble?" I asked before turning my head to face her.
"Hmm." She hummed as she started to read the various entries about the town in question. "I have to say, this town has quite the history behind it. It's a wonder why it's not on the map." Velvet stated.
"That right?" I asked her.
"Indeed, why don't I tell you about it? It goes all the way back to the Great War!" She said with an enthusiastic expression on her face.
"Well, I suppose if it helps kill the time," I said to her.
"Alright." The girl said before clearing her throat in order to tell the tale that was written in the book in her hands.
"The Town of York was one of the few surrounding communities that resided within the territory of the Kingdom of Vale. It was a time of tension between all of the Kingdoms, though the war that would come to take the lives of many has yet to come." Velvet said.
"During this time, a very powerful creature that took the form of that of a dragon pillaged the land under the Kingdom of Vale's rule for all that it was worth. The inhabitants of the land cowered in fear of this ferocious beast." She said.
"Something that took the form of a dragon? What, like some sort of Grimm?" I asked her with a rather curious expression.
"Well, it doesn't say specifically what it was, though there are some myths of some animals in the land that can be quite devastating, as well as look similar to that of a Dragon." Velvet explained.
I was rather taken aback that such a creature could even be told in myths, though I suppose a land like this would have its fair share of strange looking animals.
She sat there in silence for a few moments before turning her head back to the pages of the book. "Though during all this, the Great King Arthur rose up from the land of hopelessness and despair in order to rise up against the foul beast." The girl told.
"Armed with his trusty blade, as well as a beast of his own. His Journey was hard, though, in the end, he struck down the beast that had been plaguing the region for so long, releasing the people from this time of terror."
"The people of the Kingdom celebrated and began to rebuild their society over the course of the next few years. Some places were left untouched, such as the ruins where the Great King had slain the beast."
"However, this era of peace throughout the land would not last once the armies of Mistral invaded the land in hopes to gain control over more territory. The King of Vale wished to avoid armed conflict, especially when the land was still recovering from the wounds it had taken during the time where the wretched beast had ran ramped."
"The King wished to come to some sort of agreement with the Kingdom, though there were some of those in his order of knights who wished to push out these invaders for trespassing upon their land."
"Once again, the land was divided into two, on one side there were those who wished to seek to live amongst the people, and on the other, there were those who wished to sound the drums of war. Though despite the cries from his subjects, the King remained vigilant on his decision, little did he know that some of his own knights were acting against the wishes of the King."
"A battle broke out between the two armies, leading to one of the first battles of the Great War. When some of his trusted knights had informed him of this betrayal, many of the citizens were outraged. They had called for their heads, they had called for blood to be spilled, though they were soon silenced by the words of Arthur himself."
"Rather than executing these traitors, he had banished them from the Kingdom. Though while this took a heavy blow on the Kingdom's defenses, the King was still ready for battle."
"Some Knights and Subjects would come to follow the banished members of the order. During the war, these exiled members of the order would come to face many trials, though they would soon build a community of their own, one that would prosper outside of the rule of the Kingdom."
"One that went by only one simple name, York." Velvet said as she finished reading the tale of the town we were headed to. "I have to say, the Town of York has quite the history behind it." She said before turning the pages back to where the maps originally were.
"Right," I said as I turned my head toward's the road in front of me.
"So why exactly do you need to go to the town, to begin with?" The girl asked me as she turned her head towards me.
"Well, I took a job from this woman down in the city, though it turns out that this whole ordeal turned out to be far larger then either of us could have imagined. So for now, she's training me in order to handle the job that I've accepted." I explained.
"From what I've been told, there's some trouble brewing in the Town of York, and she wants me to investigate it. Therefore, she considers this upcoming investigation of the town in question as an introductory mission," I told her, causing the girl to stare at me with an expression of confusion.
"Introductory training mission?" Velvet echoed the strange term. "What's that if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, this is one of the many different methods of training that I've been undergoing for the past month. This mission is supposed to test everything I've learned up until now, as well as to teach me some new things." I explained.
"I see. So what are the details of this mission? After all, if we're going to be partners, for the time being, we might as well be on equal ground in terms of knowledge of the task at hand." Velvet said.
"Right, though I don't really know a whole lot about the mission if I'm going to be completely honest," I said before beginning to tell Velvet about the details of the mission, all while keeping the involvement of the Huntress who had given me the job a secret.
Once I had finished briefing the girl on the details of the mission, she sat there with her arms crossed and her eyes closed as she pondered on this new found information that she was given.
"I see. So who gave you this mission, to begin with?" Velvet asked, causing me to tighten my grip around the book that Mary had given me. I stared at the girl in a rather serious manner before answering her question.
"Sorry, though my client specifically requested to keep her identity a secret," I said as I watched her wilt in disappointment. I felt a little bad, as she probably wanted to meet the woman who was training me. Though after a few moments of silence, she recovered and put on a grin on his face.
"Well, that's a shame, but that's just how it is I suppose." She said. "So what will we do once we get to the town?" Velvet asked me, causing me to take out the book that Mary had given me before flipping to the page where she had written down the details of the mission.
The first step she wrote down was to seek out a man known as Deacon, as he would be able to point us in the right direction when it came to handling the troubles of the town in question.
"We have to meet up with someone once we get to the town. He should be able to help us complete the mission." I explained to the girl, causing her to nod her head in response to my explanation.
"This is rather exciting! This will be our very first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses! It's a shame that Fox and Coco couldn't come along, though I suppose there's always next time!" Velvet said.
"Right," I said as I turned my attention towards the road ahead in order to keep us on the same track to the Town of York. We still had a ways to go before we arrived at the town, though it was nice to have some company along the way.
It was a long journey, though the three of us managed to arrive at the Town of York before the sun started to go down. The town was bustling with activity, immigrants from all across the world bolstering the population of the town.
Everywhere we looked, there was at least a crowd of people wandering or just standing around. My eyes were darting around the area in hopes to find some place to park the caravan that was temporarily given to me by Jacob, all while making sure I didn't disturb the peace that was flowing throughout the air of the town.
"This place sure is lively," I commented as we passed through a group of musicians singing a merry little tune at the side of the street. Due to the constant sound of chatter and music coursing throughout the air, the giant of a man awoke from his slumber at the back of the vehicle.
"I suppose we have finally arrived at our destination," Yatsuhashi said as he yawned and rubbed his eyes in order to wake himself up. "So, this is the fabled town that the explorer spoke of." The man said before making his way up to the front of the cart.
"It sure is larger than any other town that we learned about in our lectures. Though I suppose that is only natural given the history of the town." Velvet said, her eyes darting around the various structures that made up the town.
The loud roar of water spilling greeted us as we reached the main plaza of the town. A large crowd of people had gathered near the water to gaze at the statue that was placed in the center of it.
It was a statue of a group of Knights, with the one standing above all of them holding some sort of blade in the air. I grabbed the book that Jacob had given to me and began to flip through the pages that held the information about the Town of York.
From the looks of things, people were gathered near the fountain, though their heads were in the direction of one of the large buildings that rested beside the stone structure in question.
After a few moments of scouring through the contents of the book, I managed to find the section about the fountain that was in the center of the plaza. "The Founder's Fountain," I said, causing the duo to break their attention away from the body of clear blue water before then and turn it towards me.
"The town was founded by a group of the Kingdom's Knights during the events leading up to the Great War. The Founder's Fountain was named such since the people who made it based the statues on those rebels who first made the town." I explained, causing the two of them to stare at me with rather curious expressions.
The duo looked up at the statues again with this newly found knowledge intact while I started to read the list of names that were written down in the book in question. "There was Gabriel, the strongest warrior that was exiled from the Kingdom of Vale, as well as the most kind-hearted of his order." I pointed at the huge, strong - looking knight in the center.
"Legend's have it that Gabriel singlehandedly struck down the army of soldiers that were looking to take over the land they wished to build their new community on." I moved my hand over to the strange individual that stood by the man in question.
"Then there was Sebastion, the one who found this great plateau with his knowledge of the land when the group was lost in the frontier." Once I had finished reading about the Knight, I gestured towards a large armored man beneath Gabriel and Sebastian. "After those two came Theodore. When the group finally reached this great plateau, it was he who suggested they build the outpost for them to use, as well as other warriors in the future." I said before finally pointing to the man who stood above the trio.
"Finally, there was the man the town was named after. The Knight who led the group once they were banished from the kingdom, York." I said before looking up towards the statue of the man in question.
"He was at the forefront of every battle that the town faced during the time of war. He wanted to be a leader known by his actions, not by the words he would preach to his people." I said before closing the book and placing it back into the bag that was beside me.
"They all sound like incredible people." Velvet commented said as she stared up at the statues.
"So, what do we have to do now?" Yatsuhashi questioned, causing me to pull out the book that Mary had given me. I started to flip through the various pages until I finally arrived at the notes the Archeologist had taken down during her time in the town.
I continued to read the notes that Mary had written down until I eventually found a place known as the Treasury of the Underground. This was one of the last entries she had written before it continued on about another remote location.
Once I had finished reading the brief entry she had written down, I turned towards the duo. "There's some sort of shop written down in my bosses journal. Turns out she and the owner had to deal with some business that was starting to go around in the town." I said as I closed the book I had in my hand.
"What should we do?" The giant of a man asked just as I had handed him the wheel.
"Find a place to settle down. We might be here for a couple of days." I said to the duo before getting off of the wooden seats of the vehicle. "Let's just hope everything is quiet for the time being." The duo looked at one another with rather confused expressions, though they simply shrugged their shoulders before making their way down the street.
I stood in the middle of the street with my arms crossed, pondering on my next course of action. Right now I should do what I can to focus on the task at hand, that being dealing with whatever troubles this town may have.
Chatter could be heard from all across the town while I started to walk across the concrete below my feet, as well as the sound of the birds singing. I started to flip through the various entries written on the town in question.
The town was built on a great plateau; essentially it was a tall mountain with a wide, flat top to it. When the founders first decided to build their outpost, they decided to start far, far away from the sides of the plateau. As a result, the first part of the town was built in the Main Plaza. From there, construction of the town naturally splintered outward.
Dirt roads stretched out from the plaza, with buildings naturally cropping up from the ground beside them. Then, as more and more people moved into York, more roads and buildings had to be built in order to accommodate them. Now, with all its winding roads and tall buildings, York barely represents its humble beginnings as a small outpost for warriors.
Which begs the question, if the town was built on such a large plateau, then perhaps this title was less metaphorical of having treasures that people of the underworld would have uses for and more literal, that being the shop was within the giant mountain.
I started to flip through the pages until I eventually found an entry about a possible route that would lead me to the inside of the mountain. As time went on, the town became home for the average citizen rather than being a place for warriors to rest.
So, they renovated, the outside of the town was used as some sort of shroud in hopes to keep the peace on the surface of the town. Which means that the shop I'm looking for is more than likely in this underground district.
Though I doubt anyone can just walk on through this district, as this place was specifically made to house warriors that would come through the town. I closed the book and placed it back into one of the pouches on my belt before I started to walk down the concrete sidewalk in hopes to find some local information.
I eventually stopped my search at the local inn that the town had in hopes to find any clues that would lead my search for the underground district in the right direction. I opened the front doors and stepped inside, the sound of various forms of chatter filling the air upon my entry.
For the most part, the people inside of the small facility were either citizen of the town or caravan guards and merchants. Though there were a few tough-looking fighters at the bar at the end of the room.
I looked around for the room for a few moments before making my way over towards the bar. The bartender noticed I was making my way towards one of the seats as he was pouring one of the patrons a glass of alcohol.
"Can I help you, traveler?" He asked with a curious expression on his face.
"Yeah, I'm looking to access the underground district of this town," I said outright, causing the man to stare at me with a more serious look.
"What's a kid like you want with a district like that? How do you even know about that place, to begin with?" The bartender asked me. "The only people who actually know about it are people who've been fighting battles for a good amount of time." He said.
"A friend of mine requested that I seek someone who helped them in the past, one that just so happens to run a shop in that district," I explained. "Though how does one find out about these sorts of places, to begin with?" I asked.
"Well, there are a few ways you can learn about places like this, though the most likely way one would learn about them is from someone who's been using these underground districts for a while." The man said. "I would have thought you would have known about it, considering you want to do business with the people down there." He said.
"I was only briefed on who I need to see. Wasn't exactly given an in-depth explanation of these sorts of things." I said, making sure not to mention that the only real reason I know about this place is through Mary's journal.
I didn't want to cast suspicion on myself, as it might make it more difficult to get future information out places like this in the near future. The man stared at me for a few brief moments before grabbing a shot glass from under the counter, as well as some sort of drink.
"Well, not every town has one of these outposts. The ones that do usually get a decent amount of activity when it comes to the work that Huntsmen do." He said before sliding the newly filled shot glass to one of the customers.
"I thought not a lot of people knew about this town," I said to the man.
"No, only people who grew up under the Kingdon's rule don't know about this town. Though many of the surrounding communities who are also outside of the Council's decree know about this place. There is a good chunk of towns who can function independently from the Kingdom's rule." He explained.
"We're actually one of, if not the only town in this part of Sanus to actually open up an academy of our own, one that's outside of the decree of the Council."
"So, naturally, we needed a way to supply these warriors with the firepower needed to protect this here town." He said. "Though unfortunately, people didn't see eye to eye about the construction of the academy."
"How so?" I asked.
"Some of the townsfolk believe that endorsing a concept created by the late king would dishonor the one who fought for our independence, as well as those who were exiled from the Kingdom." The bartender explained.
"What do you think?" I asked, causing the man to place his hand on his chin in order to think upon my question.
"Hmm, well the extra protection does benefit my business greatly. It also encourages other outside communities to make visit the outpost, which in turn brings business to places like this." He said. "Though I tend to keep those thoughts to myself, as there are a good amount of folks here who don't exactly view Huntsmen and Huntresses in a positive light."
"Right," I said, causing the man to shake his head.
"Though enough of that." He said as he started to walk out from behind the counter. "Come on, I'll show you to the back room." The bartender said, causing me to get up in order to follow him towards the door leading to the room behind the bar.
Once he opened the wooden door with the keys he had in his pocket, the only thing I was greeted with was some sort of empty room. "Here, put this code into the console right there. It'll take you to the underground district." The man said as he handed me a slip of paper with a four-digit code before walking out of the room and locking the door behind me.
I stood there in silence for a few moments until eventually, I walked over to the console and did as the bartender instructed. As soon as I had finished entering the code, the room around me shook for a brief moment.
My head darted around the room until my eyes settled on some sort of screen at the top of the door leading into the room. From the looks of it, this room acted as some sort of elevator. I stood in the middle of the room for a few moments before the elevator came to a halt, causing the door to make an audible click to notify me that the way was open.
I gripped the doorknob and opened the passageway to be greeted by a wide variety of stands and facilities that had been constructed from within the mountain. Warriors of all kinds roamed the dirt interior of the mountain with their respective weapon in hand.
Many different kinds of stands wares could be seen, whether it be weaponry, ammunition or dust in crystallized form or powdered form. I placed the slip of paper into my pocket and started to roam the streets in order to continue my search for this treasury. '
I walked passed many differed points of interest, whether it be a small callosum for those who wished to test the new weaponry they had acquired in combat, or various structures and monuments telling of the many battles that were waged in this town.
A small river flowed below the wooden floorboards that made up a part of the outpost. Though after aimlessly wandering around the outpost, I managed to reach the shop that was written down in the journal that the Huntress had given me.
The place looked rather suspicious, though then again every store in this district looked suspicious one way or another. The shop was on the outskirts of the district, almost touching the rock interior of the mountain. There wasn't nearly as enough activity when compared to the parts of the outpost that sold weapons, though it was still rather busy.
"This looks like the place." I thought aloud before walking over towards the structure with my hands in my pocket. The name of the store was written on some sort of sign that was nailed onto the red wooden door that was in front of me.
I gripped onto the front door handle and pressed one of the buttons on it, allowing me to pull the door back in order to enter the building. The interior was rather clean, at least when compared to some of the other shops that were in this district.
There were various framed pictures that were hanged on the walls, with a red sofa right by the front window with a wooden table in front of it. There was some sort of teapot placed on the wooden surface, as well as some teacups that were scattered around the pot. There was also some sort of pot at the center of the table that held a variety of flowers in it.
"Hello? Anyone home?" I called out in hopes to get some sort of answer. After a few moments of silence, a short man poked his head from outside of the counter, wearing some sort of grey garments with yellow eyes and black hair with the sign of his age showing on the sides of his hair.
"Ah, welcome. I wasn't expecting visitors, I would have cleaned up the place if I had known you were coming by." The man said with a deep tired voice of that of an old man. "Now then, what treasures do you seek?" He asked with a curious expression.
"Well, I'm not one to usually turn down an opportunity of riches, though this time is a bit different. I'm here to see you on behalf of someone you may have done business with a few years back." I explained.
"Hmm, well I have been around for quite some time. Ever since the town was but a simple outpost for warriors, so I have met many travelers." He explained.
"Hold on, you fought in the war?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised in response to his statement.
"I suppose you could say that." The man said. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Solomon, it is a pleasure to meet you." The newly named Soloman introduced before walking out from behind the counter.
"Brandon," I said to the man in front of me. "I'm here on behalf of a friend of mine, goes by the name of Mary Nutarae," I explained, causing the man in question to stare at me with a rather serious expression.
"You know Maralyn?" Soloman asked, causing me to nod before handing her the journal that the woman in question gave to me. The man started to flip through the pages in order to confirm that this was indeed one of the Huntresses possessions. "I see, it's good that she sent you. There is trouble brewing from within the town." The man said, causing me to stare at him with a confused look.
"I don't follow," I said, causing the man to pinch his chin in order to contemplate on this turn of events.
"...I shall explain the situation to you, though not here. Let us go somewhere more fitting for a conversation such as this." The owner of the store said as he started to walk towards a door that was on the other side of the room.
The confusion was only amplified by his discretion, though I decided it would be best to give this man the benefit of the doubt in order to focus on the task at hand. We began to walk down some sort of hallway until we arrived at the door to the basement.
Soloman started to flip through the key chain he had in his pocket until he eventually found the one that would open the door in front of us. Once the way was clear, we made our way down to the lower parts of the mountain.
The room was rather small when compared to the waiting rooms and office from above, with the only items in the room being a wooden table and various shelves that held various books.
"Come, sit down." Soloman said, causing me to nod my head before walking over towards one of the wooden chairs "Are you aware of the legend behind King Arthur and the Ancient Beast?"
"Briefly," I said as I sat down on the hard surface of the seat.
"Good, though there was part of that story that was not told in the legends." He explained with a serious expression on his face. "The battle against the Ancient Beast raged on for what seemed like years, it did not come without its fair share of sacrifices."
"Many lives were lost in that battle, though with the help of the King's mighty companion, the monster was defeated and the battle was won," Soloman said. "At least, that was the story that was told all those years ago." The last part of that statement caused me to stare at him with a look of confusion.
"What do you mean?" I asked with my arms crossed.
"In truth, the King merely sealed away the monster that plagued the land from within the ruins from where it had originated. Not wishing to trouble his subjects with the still present threat that this beast posed, he told the tale that he had brought the monster down." He said. "The man hoped that this tall tale would bring an era of peace that would allow his subjects to prosper."
"The kingdom celebrated, and as you know, the ruins where the beast rests today was left untouched. However, there are those who wish to pillage the fortunes that lie deep within the mountain for their own gain." He said. "I have reason to believe that a group of individuals seek to open the mountain, and by extension, release the beast that slumbers within."
"..." I merely stared at the man with my eyes wide, still attempting to process the information that was presented before me.
"I understand that this is a lot to take in. Though please try to understand the gravity of this situation. If this beast is brought into this world once again then we could be looking at another catastrophe similar to the one that happened ninety years ago." Soloman said.
"Right. So what's the plan?" I asked the man that sat on the other side of the wooden table at the center of the room.
"First, we'll need to gather a team. Only a select number Huntsmen know the truth about what happened in that battle. Recruiting them would be the best course of action right now." He said.
"Are they in town at the moment?" I questioned.
"I do believe that one of them has recently passed through here." The owner of the shop said as he pinched his chin in order to ponder the possibility. "I shall discuss it with a few of my sources, perhaps they will be able to lead me in the right direction."
"You do that. I'll see if I can't gather a team of my own." I said as I started to get up from where I was sitting, though Soloman quickly stopped me before I could walk up the stairs leading to the shop.
"Hold on, we need to be careful of who we involve. The King himself wished to keep the truth behind the mountain a secret." Soloman warned. "The more who know the truth about that battle, the greater risk it will pose on the Kingdom."
"I understand, though the people I have in mind are trustworthy." I defended. "Let's just focus on getting the team together, then we can plan from there," I said as I started to walk towards the stairs.
"Well, if you do manage to locate these people, you'll need to know the required steps you will need to take in order to enter the lower district," Soloman said before taking out a slip of paper and writing down the names of the various Inn's located within the town, as well as the method of how to get into the back room and into the lower district.
"Thanks," I said as I took the slip of paper and placed it into my pocket. Once the two of us gathered what we needed, we made our way up the stairs and out of the shop in order to bring together the team needed for this mission.
...
The sun started to set over the plateau as I continued to wander around the town's various inn's in hopes to find the duo that came into town with me. There were quite the number of passageways that one could use to enter the underground district
However, after wandering around the town from place to place, stopping at various inns with the hopes of possible information, I managed to locate the place where the duo took shelter.
I could see the vehicle that we used to get into the town at the side of the facility. A strange bird could be seen on the edge of the cloth that's used to shield the transported goods from possible travelers.
With the location of the protectors in training revealed, I walked up to the front door and stepped inside. The interior of the place was similar to the first rest stop I had been to, though it did have some noticeable differences.
The interior was significantly larger when compared to the other taverns I've visited, as well as twice as busy. Music could be heard from the jukebox that was near the corner of the entrance.
Rather than being at the end of the inn, the bar was on the right of the entrance. I was able to find the giant of a man from within the tavern rather quickly due to his hulking size and stature.
He was speaking with someone that I didn't recognize, someone who I wasn't really able to identify either. I started to walk towards the duo in question, though they seemed to notice that I was heading for them.
The unidentified figure turned to Yatsuhashi one last time before taking off. "Was that someone you knew?" I asked the giant before sitting down in the chair next to him.
"Yes. It was an old friend that I met long before my time at the academy." The man said as he turned his head to face me. "It seems he had just finished some business that he was attending to and was passing through this town on his way back home." He explained.
"Right, so where's Velvet? I would have thought she'd be around here." I questioned.
"Ah, she went to visit the combat school that was near here. I believe she said she wanted to work on her phototrophy." The man said. "What of you? Have you met with this associate of your client?"
"Yeah, he's just gotta take care of a few things before we can head on out," I said.
"I see. So what pray tell are we dealing with if I might ask?" Yatsuhashi asked me with a serious expression.
"I'll tell you once Velvet gets back from the academy. The person I met told me to keep the details of this mission strictly confidential." I explained as I scanned the room to see if anyone was potentially eavesdropping. "After that, we should go to the room that the two of you got for the night, I'll explain what I can there."
"Are the people of this town in danger?" He whispered before leaning over towards me.
"Not yet. Let's try to keep it that way as well." I said, causing the man to nod his head in agreement with my statement.
"Indeed." The giant of a man responded.
"Though right now the two of you need to know what you're getting into, as well as the gravity of the situation," I said as I turned my head back towards the bar. The two of us waiting for a few moments for the brunette rabbit girl to return from the academy, though once the sun had set to make way for the moon, the girl came through the doors.
"Whew! What a day. Though it was worth it, these will be good for the collection." The girl mused to herself, her eyes glued to the screen of her camera. Though her attention was quickly broken off as she could hear the thundering footsteps of her partner approaching her.
"Hey Yatsu, sorry I was out for so long. Guess I got wrapped up in my own little world." She apologized before looking past the giant to face me. "Oh! You're back! Did you find the place you were looking for?"
"Yeah, we're currently in the planning stages right now. I'll tell you all about it once we get to someplace where we won't be heard by anyone." I said as I started to walk towards the stairs leading to the rooms that people could rent. The girl looked rather confused, though she merely decided that it would be best to follow the duo.
The room was enough to house a group of people, though I doubt we'd be staying here for long. I looked outside the door to see if we had been followed, though, from the looks of it, we were in the clear.
"So what's the situation?" Velvet asked with a curious expression. My only response was to sigh before locking the door that led to the hallway just outside. I walked over to the sofa that was sitting near the door and sat down.
"It's a long story," I said as I began to tell the duo what Soloman told me. I told them about the mountain, as well as the risks that would come if one would try to take the treasures stored within it for themselves.
"So even after all this time, the Ancient Beast is still alive?" Velvet questioned, still processing the sudden revelation that was presented before her.
"That's what I was told. I suppose it was harder to kill then even the King had expected." I said as my eyes trailed the giant of a man as he paced around the room with his hand on his chin.
"I suspected that the situation was dire, though I could not have imagined this," Yatsuhashi said with a serious expression on his face. "So, your associate believes that some individuals wish to horde the treasure for themselves?"
"That or sell some of the artifacts to the highest bidder," I said.
"So we need to stop these individuals. Prevent them from awakening a beast they have no knowledge of." Yatsuhashi said wish his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Otherwise this town, as well as many others will go up in flames."
"Yeah, we'll need to be careful with this situation, even with this looming threat over our heads," I said. "The people can't know that this thing is still alive, let alone that it might burst from the mountain to terrorize the kingdom once again."
"Right, it would cause a panic. Which is the last thing we need right now, there are innocent people who live in this town." Velvet said with a determined look.
"It would not just cause panic throughout the town, rather it would cause a panic that would be felt all throughout the kingdom," Yatsuhashi said.
"So yeah, there's a lot at stake here. No matter what, we can't let this group open the mountain. We can't let that monster loose again." I said with my arms crossed, as well as a serious expression.
"Right. So what's the plan? How are we going to prevent the mountain from being opened?" Velvet questioned.
"Soloman said he would discuss the plan with us once he's gathered the rest of the Huntsmen and Huntresses together. So right now, let's head on over to the shop that he runs." I said as I got up from the red sofa while the duo stared at me with rather confused expressions.
"Right, so where exactly is this shop in the first place?" The brunette girl asked.
"Closer then you think." I mused to her as I started to walk out of the door that led to the hallway outside. Though little did we know that there were indeed some suspicious characters lurking about.
"Did you hear what they had to say?" A mysterious voice said from behind the door right next to the room that we were staying in. The wooden entrance creaked open to reveal two shady looking men peaking out from the small crack that was made.
"I heard it all." The large man said with a serious expression on his face. "I'm not sure what those people are up to, though they're clearly onto us."
"Yeah, this can't be good. Though at least we know to be more careful from here on out. I didn't really think that this mountain would hold such treasure and fortune." The smaller of the duo said.
"Though did you hear about what they said about the mountain? About how the Ancient Beast was never killed?" The large man said as he turned his head towards his partner.
"Don't think about it too hard, it'll hurt your head. Just leave the thinking to me, all you need to do is handle the heavy lifting. If things really do go south, we'll have a fail-safe." He said. "Besides, focus on the bigger picture, if we loot this place for all its worth we'll be able to live a life of luxury!"
"Still, what if they were right? What if the monster was never killed in the first place?" He asked.
"Well, let's say that the king lied to the world for nearly a century about the fate of that monster. All we have to do is take what we need and get out of there without drawing its attention. Once we do that, we lock the place back up before it can get out of its cage." The smaller of the duo said. "Now come on, we need to head out before those Huntsmen catch up with us!" He said before rushing into the room to pack their things.
The large man was still rather skeptical about the whole thing regarding the mountain, though he decided that he would give his partner the benefit of the doubt. He shook his head and started to gather the things he would need in order to prepare for the trip.
...
Once I had gathered the duo, I made my way over towards the shop that Soloman ran on his lonesome. The two protectors in training were rather surprised that such an outpost for warriors like them was right under their noses.
I could tell that the brunette girl was itching to take pictures of the various weapons that were being carried all throughout the district, though we didn't really have time for sightseeing with what was at stake here.
We did have time to gather some supplies that we might need for the trip, though it was brief due to the time limit we had. Once we had everything that we needed, we made our way towards the shop where we would meet the rest of the group.
"So this is the place?" Velvet asked as we stood in front of the structure in question.
"Yeah," I confirmed before I made my way towards the front door, the duo following close behind me. I gripped the handle of the door and pulled it, causing the entrance to open and for the bell on the top of the door to ring.
The sound of footsteps could be heard from across the room, and after a few moments of silence, the door leading to the hallway opened to reveal the owner of the shop himself.
"Are these the ones you were talking about?" Soloman asked me with a curious expression.
"That's right. Don't worry, you can trust them. I already explained the situation to them." I told him, causing him to stare at the duo with a suspicious expression on his face as if he were attempting to confirm my statement.
"My name is Yatsuhashi Daichi. Do not fret, Mr. Soloman. The secret of the mountain will not be disclosed. You have our word." Yatsuhashi said with a determined look.
"Right, you don't have to worry about us. We know the risks that will follow. Oh! My name is Velvet Scarletina, nice to meet you!" Velvet said with an equally determined stare. After a few moments of silence, the man nodded to himself before turning around to face the hallway once again.
"Come on. We'll discuss the plan with the others." He said as he walked down the hall in question. I turned my head towards the duo before we started to follow the man towards the lower parts of the house.
Once we arrived at the basement where I had heard about the situation, I could see three more people sitting down at the table. One of which was a female with a series of tattoos going down her arm.
"Allow me to introduce you to the team. This here is Agnes, she may be young though she makes up for it with the power she has behind her." Soloman said, causing Agnes to get up from her seat.
"Pleasure to meet you." She said politely.
The second one was some sort of man with a fairly average build, as well as some sort of shotgun by his side. He wore some sort of mask that hid his identity, though the most notable parts of his aesthetic were the two unfamiliar animals that he had with him.
One of which was some sort of large canine that took up a good chunk of the room and the other one was some sort of bird-like creature that rested on his shoulder. I was taken aback by the sudden discovery of these unfamiliar animals, though I pushed my surprise to the back of my mind.
"Here we have Floyd," Soloman said, though the man in question remained silent. Though he did give us a friendly wave with his right hand, along with a welcoming chirp from the bird on his shoulder. "He lost his ability to speak long ago." He said, causing the masked man to nod his head.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Velvet said before she turned her head towards the last person that was gathered.
However, the third figure that was in the room really caught us off guard. The man was a fairly old looking fellow with grey hair on his sides, as well as black hair on the top of his head.
The man had aged quite a bit, though the resemblance to the statue of one of the founders of this town was uncanny. "Lastly, we have one of the founders of this here town. Theodore, one of the most well-respected elders of the town." He said as we stared at the old man with expressions of shock and awe.
"Hello there! So you are the youngsters that my friend here spoke of. It's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted.
"The pleasure is ours! It's a real honor to meet someone like you!" Velvet said before walking up to the old man and shaking his hand lightly. "It's not every day that you meet with one of the King's guard!"
"Former guard of the king. I haven't had that title in quite some time, not since the Great War." Theodore said with a light chuckle.
"So, you were alive since the Great War. Wouldn't that make you over a hundred years old?" I questioned.
"Indeed, though I am doing quite well for my age, don't you think?" He asked with an amused smirk on his face. "Though let us not dwell on the past, for we have more pressing matters at hand." The founder said.
"Indeed, I take it that all of you are prepared for the road ahead?" Soloman asked, causing everyone in the room to nod their heads. "Very well, now let us discuss the plan of action."
"First objective: We need to ensure that the mountain remains sealed." He said before pulling out some sort of map that showed the general area around the town. "The mountain where the beast is sealed is around this area." The owner of the shop proceeded to circle his finger around the mountain in question. "It's located just east of the town."
"It's quite the large mountain, so traversing it will take some time. There are a few small settlements that have taken shelter on the mountain in question. We will most likely have to take up camp near or in one of these settlements." The man explained.
"A group of you will have to stay behind in order to defend the town in case things go wrong. The rest of us will focus on tracking down the perpetrators who wish to pillage the mountain for all it's worth."
"Yatsuhashi, you, Agnus and Theodore will protect the town in case anything goes wrong. If the beast is unleashed, then it will be our job to evaluate the town as quickly as we possibly can." Soloman said as he stared at the trio in question. "Theodore's influence over the town will make it easier to gather everyone."
"You can count on us," Yatsuhashi said with a serious expression.
"Good, the rest of us will focus on tracking down the ones who wish to open the mountain. Your companions will be key to tracking them down, Floyd." He said, causing the masked man to nod his head.
"Velvet, your enhanced sense of sight, smell and hearing will also aid us as well," Soloman said to the rabbit girl. "The darkness of the night will not be in our favor, so you will need to be our guide."
"Right." She said with her fists clenched with determination.
"Now then, do we all know our roles?" The owner of the shop asked, causing everyone to nod their heads in agreement. "Very well, we set out for the mountains at once." He said before picking up his bag from the ground.
Floyd merely tapped his leg to times, which in turn caused the canine-like beast to rise from the ground.
"You ready?" Velvet asked me with her own bag in tow.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I responded before we turned our heads towards the giant of a man.
"We'll be counting on you to lead everybody to safety if things go wrong." The girl said to her partner. Yatsuhashi looked down at her with a serious expression before nodding his head in response.
"I wish you safe travels." He said as he held out his hand.
The girl chuckled before grasping it with her own, though the man's hand was so large that it nearly enveloped the entirety of her wrist. Once the two had said their goodbyes, the giant turned towards me.
"Stay safe. The roads will be dangerous at the dead of night." He said.
"Right back at you," I said as I walked past him, lightly tapping his arm before I made my way up the stairs. Velvet stared back at her partner before she started to walk up towards the hallway.
Once we plotted our course, we set out of town and into the forests of Sanus, as well as a path that would lead us towards the mountain where the Ancient Beast of Old lies in slumber.
...
The moonlight shone over us as we continued to make our way through the forests outside of the Town of York. The two pets of Floyd were searching around the area in hopes to find some sort of trail that would lead us towards the culprits behind this issue.
Velvet, with her enhanced vision, had been helping us traverse the more dangerous parts of the forests and mountains, as well as searching for any potential threats herself.
I was guarding the owner of the shop in question as he continued to read the notes that he had on the mountains that held the Ancient Beast. I looked over the shoulders of the man to read the writings on the paper, though it only had information that I already had knowledge of.
The air was quiet, with the only noise filling the air being the sound of our feet crunching the leaves below our feet and the various crickets that had come out during the night time.
So, in order to break the silence, I decided to ask the owner of the shop some questions. "So, how exactly did you meet Floyd and his pets?" I asked, though before he could answer my question, the sound of the canine letting out some sort of growl cut us off.
I had thought that it was some sort of threat, though, upon further inspection, it seemed that the animal was growling at me. "Floyd's companions don't like it when they are referred to as pets," Soloman said.
"Good to know," I growled before placing my sword back into its sheath. "So what were you were saying until we were so rudely interrupted?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes at the hound, though it's only response was to let out some sort of huff before turning it's back away from me.
"He came into town one day with the intent of taking up a job here. There was some nasty business going on in the underground district, so we decided that we would put a stop to it." He said. "I've been informing him of potential job opportunities, as well as aiding him when it comes to information."
"Right, what about Agnus?" I asked him with one of my eyebrows raised.
"That is a long story, one that requires time to tell, and time is something we don't have." He said with a serious expression on his face. "We shall exchange stories once this is all over, for now, let us focus on the task at hand." I nodded my head before turning back towards the group.
We kept traversing through the forest for a good while before we eventually arrived at some sort of crossroad that branched on to two pathways. "Which way do we go now? The path branches in two." I said to the owner of the shop.
"Hmm." He hummed as he looked down at the map he had with him. Though while we were conversing amongst ourselves to decide on which road to go down, Velvet started to push her head upwards with her eyes closed.
She did this with the other pathway as well until she eventually opened her eyes and turned toward us. "The mountains are this way." She said before pointing her head over towards the path.
"How can you tell?" I questioned.
"The smell of the salt of the ocean is that way. Which means we would be heading in the wrong direction if we decided to go down that path. Though that smell starts to fade down this way." She said. "I can also hear the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs from that way."
"Then we head down this pathway," Soloman said as he and Floyd started to walk down the path ahead while Velvet and I hung back in case there were any potential ambushes lurking in the shadows.
"Must be really convenient to have senses like that," I commented.
"In this profession? Yeah, I suppose it would be. Really the only way I could put my skills to use." She said with her usual grin.
"...Mind if I ask you something?" I requested her with a curious expression.
"You just did." Velvet mused, causing me to lightly whack her arm due to the smarmy response. "No, I don't mind at all."
"Why did you chose this life?" I asked.
"How do you mean?" She asked me with one of her eyebrows raised.
"Well, on paper, protecting people and gaining glory seems like a great job to have. Though when putting it into practice, you put your life on the line every day you go out into the field. You fight for people who don't even know your name, people you don't even know. So why would you want a job like this?" My question got some sort of chuckle out of Velvet.
"I will be the first to admit that this career doesn't exactly have a lot in terms of retirement. It's not the type of job you can take and expect to grow old with your family." She said.
"Most of the time, it ends early. It ends bloody." Velvet said. "When I told the family back at home that I was going to become a Huntress, there were a lot of mixed reactions." Velvet explained.
"The younger ones, Violet and Jack saw me as some sort of hero going on this journey to save the day." She said. "They're too young to understand the risks that are behind this job."
"My older siblings, Peter and Jane just told me to be careful. To keep in touch even when I was taking jobs." Velvet said. "My mom begged me not to do this job. She was always protective of the family after..." She trailed off for a few moments, causing me to stare at her with an expression of confusion.
"You okay?" I asked before placing my hand on her shoulder in order to shake her back to reality.
"Hmm? Oh yeah. Mom was always protective of the family after some pretty dark times that occurred in our lives." She said.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I questioned.
"No, not really. It's like I said, they were dark times for all of us. Besides, the past is in the past, best not to dwell on it." Velvet said. "Though that feeling of helplessness is what motivated me to become a Huntress in the first place."
"What about your pops? Did he have anything to say on the matter?" I asked her.
"He understood why I wanted to do this. He was the one who convinced my mom to go through with a profession like this." The rabbit girl said. "Though I could tell that he was still worried for me." She said as she turned her head towards me.
"What about you? You're a mercenary from what I've heard. Why did you choose this life?" Velvet questioned.
"To be honest, I didn't really have much of a choice. Money doesn't exactly grow on tree's, and we all have to make end's meet somehow." I said.
"How old are you?" She asked.
"Sixteen," I replied, causing her to stare at me with a rather surprised expression.
"Wow, you're a year younger than me?" Velvet asked to which I nodded my head to confirm. "I would have thought that you would be going to combat school." She said.
"Well, being a Huntsmen costs money. Which is something I don't really have at the moment." I said. "So, I took up this occupation to get back on my feet. Not really sure what I'll do after that." I said.
"Back on your feet? Where's your family, aren't you staying with them?" Velvet asked.
"No. They're gone. It's just me from here on out." I said with a serious look on my face.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." She said with a saddened expression on her face. "What happened if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's a long story. One that I'm not exactly keen on retelling." I said which caused the girl in question to nod her head.
"It's okay. I understand if you don't want to talk about it." The girl said as we continued to walk in relative silence. Though that said silence was broken once we heard the sound of the canine-like animal barking from the distance.
The two of us looked at one another briefly before we rushed towards the source of the noise. Once we arrived, we could see that Soloman and Floyd were crouched near some sort of camp right by the mountains.
The masked man in question was investigating the camp in hopes to search for any potential clues that would help us on our hunt. "Do you think it's the camp of the culprits?" Velvet asked the owner of the shop, causing him to nod his head.
Before we could continue to question the man, Floyd came back with some sort of ledger in his hand. Soloman took the book from the man's hand and started to read the contents that were written on the pages.
"What does it say?" I asked with a curious look on my face. The man merely continued to read the book until he eventually nodded his head before closing it.
"This was their camp. From the looks of it, a man named Zayne and Kurt were the ones planning to raid the mountain. The latest entry talks about how they believe a group had been onto their plan due to a conversation they overheard near one of the Inn's." He said as he stared at the two of us.
"Damn it, so people were eavesdropping," I swore before I started to walk through the camp. "Well, at least we know who we're after now, though judging by the state of this camp they took off a while ago," I said.
"Then we have no time to waste. Come, let's go!" Soloman said as he and Floyd started to run up the mountainside side. We had no time to rest, we needed to get to the doors that led to the ruins before the ones who were eavesdropping did.
We continued to scale up the mountain until the sun started to rise over the rocks as we continued to make our way up the barren mountain. The plain held nothing except for broken rock and burnt trees, which made it easy to traverse the giant rock.
However, the silence was rather unsettling. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of the wind howling, there were no birds singing songs, and the trees have all but withered away.
"What happened here?" Velvet asked as she stared upon the barren landscape.
"The Ancient Beast ravaged this land," Soloman said with a sad tone. "It wasn't always like this though. Once, these slopes were lined with various trees and wildlife. It was quite a remarkable sight." He said.
"However, once the monster was born, it began to destroy the beautiful land that the God of Light had created long ago. Most of what was lost has been recovered, though whatever was here in this land was reduced to ash." He said as we stared upon the wasteland.
Despite the sad story behind this land, we had to continue to move forward's. The climb was rather tiring, though we eventually managed to find our way towards the entrance to the mountain.
However, our fears had managed to come true as we gazed upon the open passageway that led to the inside of the ruins. "No," Soloman said lightly before he started to run over towards the stone doors.
"Damn it," I swore as I clenched my fist with a glare on my face. Though before we could plan our next course of action, a faint growl could be heard echoing from the caves, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks.
"..." Velvet had a rather nervous expression due to the chills that went down her spine due to the sound of the monster growling. "So what do we do now?" She asked as she turned her head to face everyone.
"We do what we came here to do," I said before making my way towards the entrance to the ruins. "We find the idiots who opened the gates and we drag them out here," I said.
"Though the doors are opened! We have to warn the town!" Velvet said.
"From the looks of it, the monster hasn't noticed we're here yet. There still may be time to close the gates before it even notices we're here." I said as I gripped the handle of my sword.
"...Alright. Let's go." Velvet said. "Though what do we do if it wakes up?" She asked.
"Let's cross that bridge when we get there," I said before we all started to walk into the ruins that had been sealed for so long.
...
Thus, another chapter of our story comes to a close. With the truth about the battle against the Ancient Beast revealed, our heroes race to the mountains in hopes to prevent the monster from awakening from its slumber.
With the town guarded by his new found companions, our heroes go to prevent a battle that would surely result in the death of many. However, once they arrived to confront the thieves, they found the doors leading to the chambers of the ruins opened.
Now with time against them, the group must make haste if they wish to push past this crisis. However, the worst has yet to come, and our heroes will find that strength will not be the only thing tested in this chapter of our story.
Credits
Writer: Quebec
Editor: Smitten
Well now, that was unexpected. To explain to you all as briefly as I possibly can, the reason for the hiatus was due to a variety of things. Firstly, my health started to take a turn for the worse, though now it seems to be back to normal.
Secondly, some personal matters with the family that I will not be discussing here rose up.
Finally, I had writer's block for this specific storyline. Though now I finally settled on an idea that I'm confident in.
So I've come to a decision on how I will handle my schedule. It will now go from one to two weeks to whenever the chapter is finished. It could be a week or a month, though I want to give you guys the best quality chapters I can give you.
Anyways, that's my piece. Glad to be back, hopefully, I won't run into any more issues.
...
Next Chapter: The Ruins of The King
...
Ruby's Guide to The World of Remnant
Night Howlers
Our world is pretty interesting, not just because of the monsters that wander around it, there are also some pretty interesting critters that wander around the world.
One of which are the Night Howlers. These are kind of like dogs, except their way more dangerous from what I've heard. Luckily for you, it's possible to tame some of these animals.
So they might be able to help you out the next time you're ambushed by a horde of monsters. After all, from what my Uncle Qrow and Dad told me, the Creatures of Grimm aren't the only thing in this world that you should fear.
Stay Safe and Happy Hunting!